Why Teenagers Need Rules to Live By
When you have children there are going to be days you wish you could start all over. With teenagers, those days may seem to come more often. If babies don’t come with instruction manuals, most parents wish their teenager did. Teens push all the limits of your household, so you know why teens need rules to live by.
Being the parent of a teenager is no easy task. They don’t want to follow the rules any longer because they want to find out who they are and where they fit in the world. However, rules are important to keep them safe and help them learn about being an adult.
Teenagers need parents to enforce the rules they’ve always had in place. They also need parents who will create additional rules to deal with all of the changing circumstances in their teen’s life. Parents, now is the time to stand firm and stand together for your teen’s sake.
Teens these days have to deal with so many things you never did. They’re being encouraged, through nearly all forms of media, to be promiscuous and to buck authority. Drugs, alcohol and cigarettes are easy to obtain and their peers may be pressuring them to give these substances a try. By providing your teen with rules to live by and expecting them to do so, you may be able to help them avoid some of the pitfalls which are so common to teenagers today.
* Your teen is changing physically which means they are now capable of bringing a child into the world – whether they’re ready for it or not. Having rules pertaining to sexuality may seem old-fashioned, but may be necessary to keep your teen from becoming a parent.
* Teens are also changing emotionally thanks to the multitude of hormones in their system. Be available to your teen to guide them through the changes they’re experiencing.
* Teens are facing challenges with peer pressure. By explaining the reasons behind the rules you’ve set relating to drugs, alcohol and teen sex, you are giving your teen a way to avoid some of the pressure their peers may exert on them. Make sure your teen understands the consequences of breaking those rules.
* Make sure the consequences are agreed upon before the rules are broken. If the consequences are harsh enough to make your teen think twice before breaking them, you’ll have done your job.
* Keep lines of communication open with your teen. If they don’t agree with a rule, allow them to discuss their reasons why they think it should be changed. Listen to what they have to say and give their argument some thought. Then you can talk about why the rule was made, how it could be changed and what the consequence would be if it were broken.
Knowing why your teenagers need rules to live by is the first step of raising teens. Once you know why rules are important you’ll want to talk about them openly with your teen. Get their input on appropriate consequences and be consistent when doling out the consequences.
By having rules to follow, your teen will know you love them and that you want to protect them – even if they seem to push the limits as far as they can without breaking the rules.
